DEIS

St. Vincent's Convent N.S. is part of the government-funded DEIS (Delivering Equaility of Opportunity in Schools) programme, where we have been designated DEIS Band 2 status. We are in receipt of a number of grants and resources in line with this level of DEIS, provided to support the educational experience of the pupils in our school. We have compiled a 3-year plan for using these supports and resources to the fullest in order to provide the best educational experience for all the children in St. Vincent's.

DEIS Action Plan

We have availed of support in the areas of literacy and numeracy through obtaining the services of a DEIS advisor. Our present DEIS co-ordinator is Erica Mulholland. Erica has worked on an ongoing basis with both teachers and pupils in the school, providing support through giving talks to staff in many curricular areas, providing resources for implementing specialised programmes in the school and modelling lessons in First Steps Literacy and Ready Set Go Maths at all levels to support teachers in using a range of innovative and effective methodologies in the classroom.

School Completion Programme

The School Completion Programme aims to have a positive impact on children's attendance at school from primary school right up to Leaving Certificate. The School Completion Programme project in St. Vincent's Convent N.S. runs a number of programmes and activities designed to help children who are at risk of leaving school early see the positives about coming to school each day

The SCP Support team working in the school for the 2011 school year are Kathleen Quirke and Louise Cavanagh. Kathleen and Louise run after school soccer clubs, a lunch club and track the attendance of the children in their project. They help the children feel more comfortable in school by supporting them in many ways, including group sessions where children can talk about their fears and worries regarding school. They also give weekly workshops to all children in 6th class based on raising their confidence and preparing them for moving on to secondary school. This is a very valuable resource to have in St. Vincent's.